Adesis

What Adesis does

Adesis is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in custom chemistry, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED). The company traces its operational history to CB Research, founded in 1991, and was reconstituted under the Adesis name in 2017 when Universal Display acquired its assets. Adesis serves customers across three primary verticals: pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, medical device, and specialty materials. Its service portfolio spans custom synthesis of heterocycles, deuterated compounds, high-purity monomers, organometallics and building blocks, custom peptides, and oligonucleotide synthesis, with deeper-dive capabilities in peptide-drug conjugates, PROTAC building blocks, and ADC linker chemistry.

The company's technical platform rests on a workforce of more than 100 chemists, approximately 80% of whom hold PhD degrees, operating from a roughly 100,000-square-foot facility in Delaware and a 17-acre manufacturing campus in Ireland containing three dedicated synthesis plants. A catalog of more than 1,600 organometallic and building-block products supplements the custom service offering, creating a hybrid catalog-plus-project revenue model. Adesis engages clients under fee-for-service project contracts and full-time-equivalent (FTE) embedded-team arrangements, with specialty manufacturing of high-purity intermediates representing an additional commercial stream. The transatlantic footprint is positioned to provide supply continuity for customers and access to European pharma demand.

Name

Adesis

Legal name

Adesis, Inc.

Website

https://adesisinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adesis is a specialty chemistry CDMO and wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation that provides custom synthesis of heterocycles, deuterated compounds, peptides, and oligonucleotides to pharmaceutical, medical device, and specialty materials customers across U.S. and European facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO)

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small-Molecule API & Intermediates CDMO (HLAGABAA), Small-Molecule Drug Product (Solid/Oral/Parenteral) CDMO (HLAGABAB)

Keywords

• Custom chemistry services
• Contract development manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical CDMO services
• Specialty chemical manufacturing
• Medicinal chemistry research

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Fee for Service (FFS): Designed for clients who prefer a breakdown of labor and raw materials, waste and analytical costs. Total costs quoted are an estimate of the total project cost.
2. Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs): Clients pay for dedicated chemist time, with flexibility to alter project focus without adjusting work orders and ability to cancel if chemistry needs cease. Incentive to follow evidence-based investigation paths.
3. Specialty Manufacturing (GMP/non-GMP): Manufacturing services spanning non-GMP synthesis of starting materials, intermediates, and APIs; specialty chemicals including organic and organometallic synthesis, heterocycles, deuteration, and high-purity monomers. Batch sizes from 5–35 kg with capability exceeding 1 metric ton per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Adesis is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) that provides custom chemistry services for pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and specialty materials companies. The company offers organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, process development, and custom manufacturing services as a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation.

Product overview

Adesis is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) offering integrated chemistry services across the pharmaceutical development continuum. The core portfolio consists of four main service lines: Discovery Chemistry (early-stage synthesis and lead optimization), Process Chemistry (route development and scale-up readiness), Specialty Manufacturing (pilot to commercial production), and Custom Peptide Synthesis (solid-phase and solution-phase approaches). Supporting these are specialized capabilities including Heterocyclic Synthesis Services, Deuterated Compounds Services, Peptide-Drug Conjugate Manufacturing, and an Analytical Chemistry Services platform. The company also maintains a Heterocyclic Compound Catalog of 1,600+ in-stock building blocks. Two engagement models are offered: Fee for Service (FFS) and Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs). Services span US and Ireland facilities, with capabilities in heterocycles, deuteration, high-purity monomers, and complex small molecule synthesis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Development timeline reduction from 24-36 months (fragmented multi-vendor) to 12-18 months (integrated CDMO) — saving 6-18 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED)flagshipOthersAdesis is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation, a global leader in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technologies. UDC's strategic ownership provides Adesis with stability and long-term vision as a publicly traded technology innovator, with UDC's recognition as a leader in innovation, customer relationships, corporate responsibility, leadership, and growth.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cayman Chemical: Cayman Chemical is a direct peer, specializing in catalog biochemicals, custom synthesis, and analytical standards — with a comparable catalog of research compounds and custom synthesis services for pharma/biopharma and academic research. Its catalog offering and custom chemistry model closely mirror Adesis's heterocyclic catalog and FFS services.
• Curia (formerly AMRI): Curia is a direct CDMO peer offering contract research, development, and manufacturing services for small molecules and APIs — including intermediates, RSMs, and custom synthesis, the same core services Adesis provides. It competes head-to-head for pharma/biopharma CDMO contracts across the discovery-to-commercial continuum.
• Cambrex: Cambrex is a direct CDMO peer specializing in small-molecule API development and manufacturing, with comparable capabilities in intermediates, RSMs, and process chemistry. Both companies serve pharma/biopharma customers requiring complex chemistry from clinical to commercial scale.
• Asymchem: Asymchem is a direct CDMO peer providing small-molecule API and intermediate development and manufacturing, including custom chemistry and process R&D. It competes with Adesis for outsourced chemistry services from biotech and pharma clients globally.
• Eurofins Discovery: Eurofins Discovery offers contract research services in medicinal chemistry, custom synthesis, and in vitro pharmacology — directly comparable to Adesis's discovery chemistry and FTE-based scientific staffing model for pharma/biopharma clients.
• BioDuro: BioDuro is a direct peer offering contract chemistry services including drug discovery, custom synthesis, and process chemistry for pharma/biopharma clients. Its discovery chemistry and FTE-based engagement model directly overlap with Adesis's CRO-side services.

Broad incumbents

• WuXi AppTec: WuXi AppTec is a broad incumbent offering end-to-end CRO/CDMO services across discovery, development, and manufacturing for small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies. WuXi's scale and breadth are substantially larger than Adesis, but it is the principal competitor being displaced by BIOSECURE Act-driven reshoring — making it the most relevant incumbent for Adesis to monitor.
• Lonza: Lonza is a broad incumbent CDMO serving pharma, biotech, and specialty chemicals with mammalian and small-molecule capabilities at global scale. While Lonza's core strength is biologics, its small-molecule and API offerings overlap with Adesis's specialty manufacturing and process chemistry services.
• Catalent: Catalent is a broad incumbent CDMO offering drug substance, drug product, and biologics services globally. Its softgel and oral solid dose capabilities extend beyond Adesis's scope, but it competes for small-molecule CDMO engagements and has acquisitions in the peptide/oligonucleotide space.
• Patheon (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Thermo Fisher's Patheon division is a broad incumbent CDMO with small-molecule API and drug product offerings. Its scale, global footprint, and integrated services compete with Adesis for outsourced pharma manufacturing, particularly at the commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adesisinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adesis-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adesis